Page:The rise and fall of the Emperor Maximilian.djvu/310

294 regeneration of the Latin race, as well as the hopes of the monarchy, the interests of our countrymen (which had been the pretext for the war), as well as the two French loans, which had only served to bring it to this disastrous conclusion. The only thing which swam safe upon the surface was the claim of Jecker, the Swiss, who had obtained his twelve millions.

In the early part of February our head-quarters were still at Mexico, and were employed in giving up the city to the Mexican authorities. Our commissaries offered to the imperial ministry our waggons, vehicles, and military clothing. Too poor to pay for all these things, the latter only purchased the clothing, to reattire their troops, which were almost naked. Mexico, which was formerly an almost unfortified town, was now protected by a wall all round it, armed with numerous pieces of artillery, each furnished with ammunition enough for three hundred shots. There were three magazines, containing a very considerable quantity of cartridges, and the arsenal was full of muskets in good condition. Fearing that the enemy might attack the town suddenly, the marshal, in order to protect it from any such surprise, had chevaux-de frise placed in front of all the embankments abutting on the gates. As is usually done in any fortified place which is given up, the field-pieces, brought in from a certain extent of country, were taken into the court of the citadel, counted, examined, and made over to the officers of the imperial artillery, who also received the keys of the warehouses, where the various equipments and tools were deposited. Official receipts, duly signed, were handed in exchange to our staff. This operation had a twofold object. In case of any sudden attack on the part of the Liberals, the guns of light calibre would have been easy to carry off; but in the court of the citadel